iPhone Flashlight Not Working? Try These Fixes

Get back into the light

by Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler is former freelance contributor to Lifewire who specializes in cryptocurrency, social media, AI and more for Wired, Tech Crunch, and others.
Updated November 12, 2019

The iPhone's flashlight is one of Apple's unsung heroes; it's very handy when people need a quick and convenient source of light. Of course, like most functionality, it can sometimes encounter problems.

If your iPhone's flashlight icon is greyed out and inaccessible, or the flashlight itself doesn't work, there are a few things you can try to get it working again.

Instructions in this article apply to all iPhone models.

How to Fix iPhone Flashlight Not Working

  1. Turn off the Camera app. It may simply be the case that you have the Camera app turned on. This essentially creates a conflict between the camera's flash and the flashlight, since they use the same bulb and therefore can't be used at the same time.

    Closing the Camera app

    As such, you should do the following:

    1. Press the Home button twice. On the iPhone X or later, should swipe up from the bottom-left of the Home screen and hold the swipe halfway.
    2. Swipe up on the Camera app to close it

  2. Restart your iPhone. If closing the Camera app doesn't 'light up' the Flashlight icon, you might want to try restarting your iPhone.

  3. Try a Soft Reset. To learn how to reset your specific iPhone, read our guide on How to Reset an iPhone.

  4. Reset your iPhone's settings. This isn't quite as heavy as it may sound since it won't erase any of your personal data or apps, though it may delete your wallpaper and screensaver. Here's what you do:

    1. Go to Settings.
    2. Scroll down and tap General.
    3. Scroll down and tap Reset.
    4. Tap Reset All Settings.

    Doing this doesn't delete your data, but rather resets your iPhone to its default settings, something which may get the Flashlight icon (and Flashlight) working again.

  5. Restoring iPhone to a previous backup.

    Restoring a backup
    1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
    2. Select the iPhone icon in the top-left corner of the iTunes screen.
    3. Select Back Up Now to make a backup of your phone.
    4. Select Restore Backup.
    5. Choose the backup to be used, then select Restore.

  6. Restore iPhone to factory settings. This can be done by creating a backup, restoring the phone to the factory settings, and then restoring it to the last backup:

    1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
    2. Select the iPhone icon in the top-left corner of the iTunes screen.
    3. Select Back Up Now to make a backup of your phone.
    4. Select Restore iPhone.
    5. Select Restore.

    After you've restored your iPhone to its factory settings, you'll be prompted by iTunes to restore your phone to its most recent backup. You can select Set up as new iPhone, but this obviously won't restore your previously saved apps, data, and settings, so you should really select the Restore from this backup box before selecting Continue.

    Restoring the iPhone

  7. If the iPhone Flashlight itself isn't working.

    Apple Genius Bar
    John Moore/Getty Images

    Some users might find that the Flashlight itself doesn't come on, even when its button is lit up as normal. This is a hardware problem, which means that you'll have to contact Apple or take the phone to a licensed repair outlet. If your phone is still under warranty, you should be able to have it repaired for free.

    Whatever happens, it's generally best not to attempt to fix the flashlight yourself, since doing so could invalidate any warranty you still have on the phone. It could also risk making the situation even worse.

  8. Good Luck!